The background of the invention will be discussed in two parts:
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to switch apparatus and more particularly to a printed circuit type switch apparatus.
2. Background of the Invention
In the advancement of electronic technology, improvements have been made in switches and controllers resulting in substantial reduction in size of keyboard calculators and the like. In prior art devices controllers and switches utilized discrete conductive segments such as studs or conductive bosses for electrical contact points, these contact points normally operating in conjunction with other discrete electrically conductive components. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,005,055 a circuit selector is illustrated for replacing the conventional rotary dial on a rotary dial telephone. The circuit selector switch of this patent utilizes a tilting dial or disc centrally suspended above a fixed surface, the point of depression of the disc completing an electrical circuit between adjacent electrically conductive points on the surface.
Printed circuit board switches utilizing flexible materials such as flexible insulating layers are shown and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,911,234; 4,017,697; 4,029,915; 4,045,636; 4,060,703; and 4,081,898. The devices of these patents are representative of the state of technology of switch assemblies for keyboards and the like utilizing printed circuit boards or printed circuits on flexible carriers. Of this group of patents, U.S. Pat. No. 4,029,915 discloses a miniaturized calculator keyboard switch assembly having a universally pivoted key actuator wherein the key actuator is adapted to be tilted in any one of four directions by the fingertip of the user to input a selected one of our different information signals from the key to a calculator circuit located within the body thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,911,234 discloses a keyboard type switch assembly formed from a flexible printed circuit folded about an aperture spacer so that contacts on the circuit face may be depressed through the aperture for engagement with a spaced conductive surface by flexure of the circuit.
With the advent of electronic games adapted for use by connection to a cathode ray tube or a standard television receiver, an image displayed on the cathode ray tube has the position thereof controlled in response to a manual input through a controller by the operator. The control means utilized presently for such electronic games include electromechanical joysticks or other position control means such as rheostats, which require rotation of a knob in the clockwise or counterclockwise direction for positioning the object on the screen. With the rotary type controller, the position of the image or object on the screen which is controllable by the operator is generally limited to a straight line, that is along a horizontal line or a vertical line with other controls being required to effect movement in the other direction.
On the other hand, with a joystick, a plurality of control directions are obtainable by manipulation of the joystick to effect diagonal movement of the image as well as horizontal or vertical. However, due to the electromechanical construction of the joystick switch, such switches are not the most desirable from a reliability standpoint. Additionally, if additional control inputs are required, separate control switches are required to effect manipulation of the electronic game variables. Furthermore, with the projecting joystick, joystick switches may be subject to breakage if excessive force is applied.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved switch apparatus.
It is another object of the invention to provide a new and improved switch apparatus utilizing printed circuits arranged in a pattern to provide a plurality of discrete directional control signals.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved hand held controller utilizing flexible printed circuits formed from a single sheet of material for providing direction inputs to a system as well as control inputs.